Q: How do you feel about the USTA’s new “10 & Under” rules, which require that 10-and-under tournaments be played using slower-moving and lower-bouncing balls, on smaller courts and using shorter, lighter rackets”?

A: I think it’s all good. I’m working with a little girl now who is 5, and I see all of this stuff.

The normal ball, if you pitch it to a kid to hit at that age, it bounces too high for them. So they automatically get into what we call a Western grip, because that’s friendly for a high-bouncing ball, but it’s not so friendly when you move up in competition. Some players use a Western grip, but the top players don’t. They have adjusted to using an Eastern or more orthodox grip.

There’s a good reason to use these low-compression balls so the youngest and most beginnerish will have the ball bounce low in the knee area, not over their head, so you can teach them a stroke. As they move along through the system, they move to a higher-bouncing ball. We used to have to find dead balls for this purpose, but now they have these low-compression balls, which is much better.

[Under the new USTA 10 & Under rules], a kid has to play 10 tournaments with the green ball or win four of them, then he [or she] can move up to the full court and the yellow ball--but not until then. And that would take care of the kid coming along so rapidly that, even at 9, he’s won these tournaments going away so he can move up.

[Andre] Agassi at 4 years old was knocking balls all over the place and small, but you’re not going to find too many like that. If you are, the system will allow you to get up where you belong.

I already am using those special balls [for lessons with children 10 and under], and it works very well. This thing, from what [T Bar M Racquet Club pro] Angela [Bartzen Allin] said, has been very well researched. Evidently, it’s been in the mill for a long time, and they’ve refined it.

The problem with any of this is that it takes a lot of time to do this with 5 year olds, so there’s not as much continuity. You need to see them as often as possible under perfect conditions.

Tut Bartzen, the legendary TCU coach whose 16-0 record in Davis Cup play remains unequalled among Americans, lives in Fort Worth. He coached TCU tennis for 25 years, and the varsity courts are named after him. Send your questions for Tut's Take to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .